Dragon Age: Trinity (On Hold)
by PrinceMitch
Summary: Ostagar brought them together, now fate guides them as one. Follow three heroes on a journey that will change all of Thedas forever. The Noble, The Champion and The Prince. AU
1. Ostagar

**Chapter 1 - Ostagar**

Raelynn picked at the dirt from under her nails with one half of her paired, thin-bladed daggers to help her. Being dirty was one of her pet hates, but she hadn't had much opportunity to keep clean since they arrived with the King's army. There were baths, but being one of only a handful of female soldiers here meant she would get a lot of unwanted male attention if she stripped off.

"Bleh," she exclaimed, and threw the dagger to the floor. With a soft squelch, the blade sunk into the damp earth, blade first. A long sword was strapped to her belt, and a shield lay propped up against the felled tree she was sat on. But those weren't her weapons of choice. The only reason she carried them around were because they were "regulation." Ever since she was little, Raelynn had been a fighter; always scrapping with the boys in the village. Whereas they relied on strength and size to fight, she'd found it much easier to just dart straight around them and find sneakier ways to get the upper hand. That's how she'd always fought, and how she always would.

Night was falling, thank the Maker, and the orange glow of the setting sun could be seen just above the tall trees surrounding her. Most people would have thought it was beautiful, but after sitting in the same spot for hours, Raelynn was more bored than impressed. Now that night approached, her guard shift would be over and she could stretch her legs. Maybe then she'd be called for battle. Hopefully.

Leaning back, Raelynn looked up at her brother, who now appeared upside down. He'd inherited the black hair of their mother, while she herself had her father's golden locks. Not only were their colours different, but they seemed to have swapped styles at some point. Raelynn purposely kept her hair short, only a couple of inches long. It made her look boyish, but that hadn't frightened the suitors away. Her brother on the other hand, had his hair long, reaching down to his shoulders. What fun it was to bully him for looking more like a girl than she.

Hair wasn't the only difference between the siblings. While her face was soft and round, his was manly and chiselled. If he wasn't her brother, she would have said he was attractive. At least, she found it hard to see why he'd never had a girlfriend.

"Carver," Raelynn moaned, elongating her vowels to make her voice extra whiney. "Can we leave yet? The Captain said we only had to stay until nightfall." His reply was snappy and filled with the desire to sound more like an adult than his older sister. Raelynn wasn't afraid of seeming foolish, because everything was more fun that way. Carver on the other hand...

"You sound like an idiot," he grumbled, crossing his arms. "The Captain said we needed to stay until the next shift turns up, which should be a nightfall. If you run off, you'll get us both reprimanded. Or even worse, we'll be locked up in a cage like the deserter."

Supple leather armour allowed Raelynn to stretch her arms and properly lie down upon the trunk of the tree. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but Carver in his scale armour would be jealous of the freedom of movement regardless. From this position, she watched as the blue sky slowly rolled back and the darkness of night claimed the bright of day. Stars dotted the inky blackness, twinkling down at their admirers below.

Sounds of troops mobilising below them in the valley turned Raelynn's mood sour. Another battle with the Darkspawn had begun, and she wasn't going to be part of it. Again. That's what she'd come to Ostagar to do; defend Ferelden and her family. Her Mother, Leandra, had stayed in Lothering with Bethany, her sister. Don't tell anyone, but Bethany was an Apostate. It was funny how they'd managed to keep her secret for eighteen years without anyone finding out. But the situation now wasn't funny.

"Well if it isn't the Hawkes!" A man, broad and around six foot tall, approached through the darkness and up the hill to their guard post. "All you ever seem to be doing is sitting on your arses." Sitting up, Raelynn rolled her eyes. It was one of the men from Lothering who'd asked for her hand many years before. His voice was full of bravado and confidence, like he was above the two siblings, but Raelynn knew his fighting skills were lacking. There were reasons he was a messenger and not a frontline soldier.

"Don't be bitter, Karlun. Just because I wouldn't sit my arse on your lap, it doesn't give you the right to act like you have a stick up yours." Having had years of trouble with men, Raelynn knew how to handle Karlun's type. They always thought they knew best and would threaten to clobber anyone who disagreed, then tried to sleep with any woman with a pulse. It was a trait she'd ensured Carver wouldn't develop.

"I've been sent to tell you that your replacements will not be coming," the man continued, "too busy being useful in the battle below." The three of them stopped talking as the roars of Darkspawn echoed up from the crevice. They'd been positioned near the entrance to camp, on the northern side of the bridge. During the day, the Tower of Ishal could be seen in the distance over the top of the trees. But even from this distance, the noise was tremendous. Much louder than they'd heard it before. "Anyway, off to deliver another message, sweetie."

Gipping, Raelynn lay back down. The cheeky wink that had accompanied the word "sweetie" made her felt physically sick. "Don't even be like that man, Carver," she muttered.

"I won't, but you don't need to tell me what to do," Carver replied with a growl. He had his arms crossed, and his fists clenched tightly. He'd been oddly quiet during the encounter, but it was obvious he was trying to restrain himself from picking a fight. Raelynn was touched, until she realised he was probably more annoyed at Karlun implying he was a poor fighter, than him flirting with his sister.

"Alright, just calm dow-"

"What did I just say?!" Before she had a chance to make things worse, Raelynn turned away and began to watch a soldier run around lighting all the torches along the paths and around the tents.

"Bleh," she muttered again and, brushing her hair back with her hand, went to go find her dagger. It wasn't long before she found it, but the lack of light made walking around the small, slightly muddy slope much more difficult than it would have been during the day. With a noise similar to the squelch it made when entering the earth, the dagger pulled easily from the ground. Raelynn wiped the blade clean on the hem of her red undershirt and sheathed it once more. Just as the hilt clicked against the rim of the sheath, a scream pierced the air from close by. Carver leapt to his feet and ran towards his older sibling.

"What was that?" he exclaimed. The two-handed blade on his back jangled against his armour as he jogged. Neither of the Hawkes had picked up their standard issue sword and shield, but that sort of typified their every action; they were unique to the core.

"Not a clue, should we go find out?" In the dark, Raelynn hoped it was hard for Carver to see the smirk that was plastered across her face. He flicked his head back and forth between their guard post, his sister and the direction of the scream. Eventually, she pushed his arm slightly, "Come on, we don't have all day. Night. Whichever. I thought you'd leap at the opportunity for a fight?"

Carver stopped turning his head and locked eyes with her. "If we get caught and punished, I'm blaming it all on you, got it?"

Laughing, Raelynn pushed his arm again, harder this time. "I'm sure they wouldn't punish someone as mighty as you anyway. Go on." They jogged back up the hill and onto the path around camp, which would take them straight to the main road. It wasn't a long or hard journey, which left the pair fresh faced and warmed up for anything that came ahead. Raelynn secretly hoped it would be a stray Darkspawn that they could have a hack at. Having not fought one before, she would've liked to take on a smaller number before being faced with a huge horde of them.

But her wish hadn't been granted. As they turned the last corner, screaming, shouting and the sounds of battle could be heard very close by. "What's going on!?" Carver yelled, but no one was alive nearby to hear him. Instead the yell attracted the attention of a nearby group of Darkspawn, who'd been setting fire to a tent. With a hiss, they marched forward, five of them in total. Their movements were jerky, and combining this with their wrinkled, yellow skin and horrific facial features meant they were more terrifying to look at than Raelynn had ever imagined. That was before you took into account the heavy armour and crude, spiked weaponry.

"To arms, brother!" With another yell, she drew the two blades that never left her side and charged forward, Carver at her heels. Her battle fervour seemed to invigorate the Darkspawn even more, which was not a good thing to happen.

As the two small forces came together, Raelynn ducked under the wild swing of the foremost Darkspawn, stepped briskly behind it and plunged her blades into its back. The warrior to the right caught up to its fellow and swung at her just as wildly. With a quick spin, Raelynn put the first Darkspawn's neck in the blade's path. If the kill hadn't been confirmed before, it sure was now. No creature could survive with its head rolling around on the floor.

Blood sprayed through the air as the head was severed; Raelynn was careful to close her eyes and mouth as it did so. Darkspawn blood was highly poisonous, or so she had heard. Pushing the body forward towards its friend, just like she had her brother only moments earlier, Raelynn distracted the other Darkspawn long enough to dart forward and stab one of her blades right between its eyes. With a cracking scream, the life drained from its body and slumped to the ground. Checking she was clear, Raelynn yanked the dagger from the skull of her foe and checked on her brother.

One monster lay writhing on the ground, both its arms missing, while another had a portion of its head cut clean off and was lying still on the floor. The final beast however, was giving Carver much more trouble. It had been hard to tell at distance, but this one was much larger and clad in gold-bronze, full plate armour. Parry after parry was made, but Carver couldn't get an attack in without risking leaving an opening. His speciality had never really been defense. Unlike its fallen allies, this Darkspawn had controlled, precise strikes and even as she watched, Carver lost his balance and the large blade he favoured was knocked from his grip.

Bounding across the small battlefield that they'd created, Raelynn tackled the brute from behind. Her head and shoulder hurt as it clanged into the metal covering his side and back, but even her slight figure was heavy enough to topple it and both combatants fell to the ground. As she landed on her back, Raelynn felt the breath forced from her chest. Coughing and spluttering, she attempted to sit back up but couldn't gather the strength. Her target had been much more lucky.

Roaring through his bloody visor, the Darkspawn got to its knees and lifted its curved, serrated sword high into the air above her chest. It was said the Darkspawn lived, fought and dug underground for centuries. With the amount of dirt, blood and rust on that blade, it was pretty obvious they didn't take care of their weapons while they were down there. Who knows, this Darkspawn could have been a part of the last Blight and the red marks that stained its weapon could have been from a Grey Warden who died in this very same way.

"Die, foul beast!" The shout made Raelynn jump, as the next thing she expected to hear was the sound of the sword plunging into her heart. The hum of a heavy object flying through the air grew louder, and a shield span into view for a fraction of a second, before colliding into the side of the Darkspawn's head. Out of the darkness leapt a man not much older than Raelynn herself. His hair was a mousey brown colour, with a hint of ginger in it. The fringe was stuck up messily. "I told you that would work!"

Another man joined him. Well, he's not a man, Raelynn thought, he looks about the same age as Carver. He too had brown hair, but his was much darker and longer than his friend. With a quick, practiced stab of his sword, the man pierced the Darkspawn's helm and it died with a small gurgle.

"I guess... I should thank you." Raelynn croaked, still unable to get her breath back.

"Oh, you know, nothing better than killing a few Darkspawn." The first man offered his hand, which she gratefully took. Staggering slightly, Raelynn looked at the man in more detail. His face was kind and he had a mischievousness about him that she found instantly appealing. Carver had been given the same gesture by the other man, but he'd waved the hand away and got up on his own. "Does anyone know what's going on? We were sent to light the beacon at the top of the Tower of Ishal."

Carver laughed bitterly, "That might be a bit of an issue. See, the frontlines apparently didn't spot a few Darkspawn sneak past and now we have no idea what the situation is like in there."

"Alistair," said the darker haired man, "can you use your... sense-y powers to see what's going on?" Raelynn raised an eyebrow at that, but the man was focussed intently on his friend, who laughed.

"Let's hope Darkspawn Detector doesn't catch on. That's a terrible nickname." His laugh was bright and cheerful, which was odd considering the fight they just had. It was almost the anti-Carver laugh.

"Who are you people?" Raelynn finally managed. They seemed odd, and the only people who could "detect" Darkspawn were...

"We're Grey Wardens!" The one named Alistair announced, "No need to applaud, it's alright. We didn't just save your lives or anything. My name is Alistair and this is Lucas Cousland."

"Pleased to meet you," Lucas said with a short bow. Raelynn covered her mouth and giggled slightly. No one she knew would act so formally. Shifting uncomfortably at her reaction, Lucas once again deferred to his friend. "So erm, what's going on?"

Suddenly Alistair turned serious as his face creased in pain. "Yes, you are right," he eventually said to Carver, the pain seeming to disappear as quickly as it came. "There is a mass of Darkspawn within the Tower. We have to get to the top and light the beacon to alert the reserves of the army to charge."

"Looks like you'd have a better chance of getting there if we came with you," Carver said strongly. It wasn't a suggestion, it was what was going to happen. Raelynn sighed. Her younger brother was always eager to prove himself, and fighting alongside Grey Wardens would be an unmissable opportunity.

"Off we go then!" Alistair shouted happily, retrieving his shield and setting off towards the path to the Tower. "The more the merrier!" Raelynn took a sideways glance at the one called Lucas, who merely shrugged.

"I'm new," he whispered and jogged after Alistair. He had an innocent charm and seemed out of place amongst all this dirt and war. Carver glared at the pair as they walked away. His dislike was obvious.

"Grey Wardens shouldn't act so frivolously. They're meant to be noble." Carver took honour, nobility and strength of arms far too seriously.

"Carver..." Raelynn sighed. She had to admit though, that these Warden's weren't as serious as she would have expected. In her time at the camp, she'd never really had much contact with them. But as the Warden's drew their blades and the cackle of Darkspawn grew louder, she would have to doubt their honour later. Now, it was time to fight.


	2. Ishal

**Chapter 2 - Ishal**

"Lucas, hurry up! We have to stick together!" Alistair shouted from the top of the curling, stone staircase. Raelynn darted past him, nudging him slightly and earning an indignant yelp for her trouble. Lucas had taken up a rear guard position and right now he was fighting for his life. If only the other Grey Warden would act a bit more like that; this wasn't a nice walk through the countryside.

They'd made their way up to the third set of stairs, the last of them if her knowledge was correct, fighting Darkspawn all the way. It seemed that the beasts had tunnelled their way underneath the tower and broken through on the ground floor. The skeleton crew of guardsmen had fallen easily, but somehow Raelynn, Carver and the Wardens had managed to forge a path.

Jumping the last few steps and hitting the ground at pace, Raelynn charged over to Lucas' position. Darkspawn corpses surrounded him, but one of the smaller ones, a "Genlock" Alistair had called them, was stabbing wildly with a knife and the Warden was parrying desperately. All the while a taller one, named a "Hurlock," was bashing repeatedly on his shield with its vicious looking weapon. Raelynn had full confidence that he would have been able to dispatch them easily under normal circumstances, but they'd been fighting for what must have been just under an hour and fatigue was a big problem in long bouts of combat.

She was only metres away when, with an almighty roar, Lucas pushed mightily with his shield, sending the Hurlock flying. The Genlock, confused by the sudden burst of strength, stopped attacking and quickly found a blade through its chest. Lucas then proceeded to stamp on the remaining Darkspawn's neck, snapped it instantly.

"Really?!" Raelynn complained. "I ran all the way down here for you to not need my help at all?" The complaint was genuine, since her slowly tiring legs were now on fire from the quick burst of running, but overall she was quietly impressed. It wasn't everyday you see someone dispatch a handful of Darkspawn on their own.

"My apologies." Lucas went to bow again but stopped himself, remembering the embarrassment from before, and so decided to go with an awkward nod of the head. "But I appreciate your concern." His face was splattered with black blood and his hair was matted with sweat and more of the oily goo that ran through the Darkspawn's body. It wasn't an attractive look, but it somehow suited him; like he was born to fight. If she was honest, she probably didn't look much better.

"Hey, we have to move!" Carver's voice echoed around the cavernous room. Having never been inside the Tower itself before, Raelynn was impressed by the size of the rooms and strength of the walls. She could imagine it looking quite resplendent in its prime, covered in banners and sporting the colours of Ferelden. Right now though, the piles of bodies and pools of scarlet and black blood did enough to hide its splendor. With a quick smile, Lucas set off for the staircase and Raelynn followed suit.

The top floor, which had been their goal, was mostly empty. Still, there were bodies scattered around the broken furniture, and the stench of death and Darkspawn hung in the air, but other than that everything seemed... normal. Okay, like nothing was wrong. Raelynn didn't like it.

"Shut the door," she ordered Carver as they entered the room, "and help me barricade it. You two just do what you need to." The Wardens set off to the other side of the room, where a huge stack of wood had been piled up, leading to a chimney-esque structure. Raelynn didn't need to know the details, all she needed to know was that they got that beacon lit and the rest of the army would join the king. To think, all of this rested on the shoulders of her, Carver and two strangers they only just met.

For once, Carver followed orders and began to pile up tables and chairs against the door. Raelynn was worried that his earlier shouting might have alerted any Darkspawn they'd missed. It turned out she was right.

"We can't light it, the rain has made bits of it damp!" Alistair yelled across the room, but he was instantly drowned out by a huge bang against the door. Dragging her brother, Raelynn pushed against the barricade that they'd created. It wouldn't hold forever, and the strength of just the two of them wouldn't help much against a horde of Darkspawn anyway, but they had to try.

"Just keep trying, we'll hold them back!" Raelynn shouted back, her body bouncing off the barricade as the door bulged again. Somehow, she'd never really considered coming to Ostagar as dangerous. It had been an adventure, and hopefully a story she could tell her children, and their children. "My mother helped save Ferelden at Ostagar," they could have bragged to their friends. But now, trapped in this room... Raelynn was scared. Worst of all she realised, looking up, Carver was trapped here too. His face was contorted in concentration, putting as much force as he could into holding the buckling door closed.

"I love you, Carver," Raelynn called to him. She felt it was important that he was reminded of that. They bickered, argued and sometimes Carver seemed to hate her more than anything else. But she did love him. He was her little brother.

"What?!" he shouted back, "What did you sa-" Before he could finish, the door was hit once more from the other side, sending the siblings sprawling on the ground. That's the second time I've ended up on my back today, Raelynn thought to herself, and not even in a good way. Splinters of wood soared through the air as the door was smashed completely off its hinges, the barricade useless against the beast that now towered above them.

"Raelynn, get back!" Carver had picked himself up from the floor and held his sword in front of him. He'd been the most aggressive of the four warriors when trying to get to the top of the Tower, and the amount of blood on his once pristine weapon showed it. When there had been a safer option, Carver had always charged in head first. Now he was doing the same thing, but for much different motives. He stood before the beast, protecting his sister from certain death at the hands of a creature at least twice his height. The two twisted horns on its head were each as long as Carver's own weapon. Raelynn tried to stand, but her ankle buckled, seemingly broken from her fall.

With a quick slash, Carver embedded his blade deep into the monster's arm and elegantly ducked under the punch that flew towards his head. Spinning, Carver sank low and slashed once more, this time at the creature's knee. It buckled and its knee collided heavily with the ground, and Carver raised his sword high to go for the killing blow. But a monster that size and with that amount of strength would not be defeated so easily. Instead of standing, it pushed forward with its head, sending Carver staggering backwards.

"No!" Raelynn screamed as the monster lumbered forwards, blood oozing slowly from its wounds and grasped her brother around the waist. With ease, it lifted him into the air like he was nothing more than a ragdoll. Swinging his huge sword with one hand, Carver sliced once more though the creatures arm. It roared, sending spittle flying out of its mouth and coating Carver's face. As his captor's fist tightened around him, Carver's scream joined his sister's. His armour buckled beneath the strength of his foe, and Carver's last, defiant act was to spit back in its face.

The crunch resonated around the room, as Carver's body broke and was flung twenty metres through the air before crashing to the floor. "Carver! Carver!" Raelynn sobbed and shouted, but his body refused to move, a pool of blood spreading out around him. As smaller Darkspawn began to pour through the door, she scrambled backwards, her broken ankle sending a jolt of pain through her body every time she moved. Still Raelynn yelled Carver's name, but no amount of shouting would rouse him ever again. A wave of heat hit the back of her head. The beacon was lit, but what did it matter when her baby brother was dead. What would Bethany say? What about their Mother...

Pounding footsteps approached and a man leapt over her body from behind, charging towards the huge beast that had so easily bested Carver. He dodged the first punch and his shield shattered as he blocked the second, but the man didn't stop moving forward. Only a flash of dark brown hair identified the man as Lucas. Jumping high, he propelled his body ever forward and landed heavily upon its chest. The giant Darkspawn stumbled slightly, Carver's attacks might not have been lethal, but they certainly made it harder to stand. In seconds, it would right itself and dispatch Lucas too, but he didn't need long, a few moments would suffice. Raising his long sword high, with both hands wrapped tightly around the hilt, he pointed the tip down towards his foes' face and plunged the blade deep through its eye. It fell backwards slowly, and Raelynn knew her brother's killer had been vanquished; taken from this world. But who would miss a Darkspawn? No one. They were unfeeling, unthinking, vile, loathsome creatures. Nothing could fix the pain that they had inflicted upon her.

Arms began to pull her from behind. It was Alistair, dragging her away from the battle. "We're not losing you too," he muttered in her ear. Lucas had picked up a stray Darkspawn sword and was slowly walking backwards to them, parrying the blades of Hurlocks and Genlocks left and right. It was no use. They were surrounded and cut off from the exit. More than two dozen Darkspawn now circled them, cackling and looking forward to torturing their prey. Look on the brightside, Raelynn told herself, at least you didn't have to feel this heartbreak for long. She closed her eyes and accepted the end. Lucas could try and defend them all he wanted. Alistair would probably help. But for her, that was enough and this was the end. No point in denying it. She took a deep breath, and waited. That was when the world burned white.


	3. Morrigan

**Chapter 3 - Morrigan**

Waking up was the last thing Raelynn wanted, or even expected, to do. But wake up she did. One of the first clue's that she hadn't died, was that none of the Chant ever mentioned the Maker living in a wooden shack. The second clue was that her ankle was being tended to by a raven-haired woman, wearing an eccentric purple garment that didn't leave much to the imagination. It had been the warm tingle in her foot that had woken her up, and the last clue that she wasn't dead was the fear that rose within her as she saw glowing beads of magic stretching from the woman's hands to her leg.

Quickly moving her leg away from the woman, another bolt of agony traversed her body, caused Raelynn to yelp. "What do you think you're doing? Where the hell are we?!"

A dry, sarcastic tone emanated from the woman's mouth as she stood up. "Oh, don't mind me. Just undo the work I've been doing for the past hour or two. You shouldn't move that foot until I'm done. At least your eyes are finally open, mother will be pleased." In an odd sense, Raelynn thought the women was beautiful. But there was a coldness within her that would always mar that beauty.

"It's not my fault that I'm a bit reluctant to have my foot "healed" by an Apostate." Raelynn snapped. For all she knew, this could be a Blood Mage or a potential Abomination. "This doesn't look like any Circle I've ever heard of."

"That's because it's not," the woman tutted, as though disappointed in Raelynn's response, "If I'd wanted to kill you, I could have done it while you were asleep, couldn't I? Just lay back and let me do my work."

With a flump, Raelynn placed her head on the surprisingly comfortable pillow and begun to think. This woman hadn't killed her, which was good. She had no memory of getting here, and had no idea wherever "here" was anyway. That was bad. The last thing she remembered was closing her eyes and...

A lone tear trickled down Raelynn's cheek. No, Carver's death hadn't been a bad dream like she had hoped. He'd been so brave, so strong. She would remember him like that, not as the lifeless corpse that monster had turned him into.

"Am I not delicate enough? My, my, you village folk are not as hardy as one would expect." The women cooed up at her. She had a strange bedside manner, that was for sure. Raelynn pushed aside her grief for now. It would not be good to show this strange women any weaknesses.

"No, it's not that. My foot feels much better." Still, she needed to find out where she was. The lands surrounding Lothering were well known to her. If this place was nearby, maybe she could escape and get home safely. "You never answered my question, where are we?"

"'Tis a question that does not need answering," replied the woman. Her bedside manner wasn't the only strange thing about her, her accent and speech patterns were odd too. "You shall be gone soon enough."

"Gone? So, I'm not a prisoner or anything..." Embarrassment began to grow inside of Raelynn. Why did she immediately assume she was in danger? Having spent her entire life around Apostate Mages, she should have known they weren't all crazy or evil.

"I am Morrigan and we are in the Korcari Wilds. I mean you and your friends no harm. They met me only yesterday, in fact. They await you outside." Raelynn noticed the strain in Morrigan's voice as she spoke, as though being nice and comforting was a task she would rather not have to take part in.

"What do you mean, my friends?" As soon as the question left her mouth, Raelynn felt stupid. Obviously she meant the Wardens she fought alongside. Just as Morrigan opened her mouth, she interrupted. "No, nevermind. I know who you mean. Everything's a bit... hazy." It was partly true, but Raelynn rubbed her eyes in an attempt to make her foolish questions seem like a side effect of her being unconscious. She stood, a bit wobbly on her injured foot, but everything seemed fine.

Leather armour, sticky with dried blood as it was, still covered her from head to toe, apart from her left foot which Morrigan had been working on. The Mage stood awkwardly to the side. "You're not used to company, are you?" Raelynn quizzed, while she carefully put her shoe back on.

"No," Morrigan confirmed. Her eyes were dark with black make-up, which was popular with the richer folks in the cities. But her irises were a deep, chocolate brown and filled with a sadness as she spoke. "We have stayed away from people, Mother and I. 'Tis safer this way."

"Well, thank you Morrigan. For everything you did. I don't know how you got us, me, out of that Tower, or even why, but... thank you." Feeling like the black-haired women deserved a little bit of appreciation, Raelynn may have rambled a bit and gone a bit heavy with the thanks. The stunned look on Morrigan's face confirmed it.

"I, er... Well, it was mostly Mother, but I am... appreciative of your thanks nonetheless. Now, go outside, Mother wishes to speak to you." As she opened the door, bright sunlight almost blinded Raelynn. It was a big contrast to the darkness of last night's battle and the dim light of the hut. Creating a shade for herself by placed her hand horizontally over her eyes, she made her way to the three people sat on small logs around a fire pit. Two of them were clad in armour; Alistair and Lucas. The third was an old woman in a ratty robe.

"I believe I have you to thank for saving my life?" The woman turned at Raelynn's words. Just like her clothing, the woman seemed dishevelled and dirty. But there was more to her than met the eye.

"Yes, that was me," she replied. Her voice croaked and cracked, just like an old woman's should. "But I suppose I have some bad news for you." It was then that Raelynn noticed the Wardens. Alistair was rocking back and forth, his head in his hands. If she didn't know any better he was crying silently to himself. Lucas just looked stunned.

"Well my brother just died, what could be worse?" Raelynn asked bitterly, taking a seat next to Lucas.

"The Darkspawn won," the boy replied. "Our signal... it was ignored. Teyrn Loghain, the man in charge of the flanking attack, didn't... he just didn't do it." No. No, no, no. Raelynn bit her lip hard to hold back any more tears, but she felt even more sick. Not only had Carver died, but the Grey Warden's had been killed and her brother's death, his sacrifice, had been for nothing.

"What do you mean, he didn't do it?" she growled through gritted teeth. When no one replied, she punched the log she was sat on, cutting her knuckles and filling her fingers with splinters. It had to be a mistake. Teyrn Loghain was a hero of Ferelden, he wouldn't do something like that. She'd decided to try and put on a brave face and save the emotions for when she got home, but now she let it all out. She joined Alistair in his grief-stricken revery.

Conversation slowly flowed around her. There were pauses, questions and mentions of treaties. None of it mattered much to Raelynn. Mother and Bethany would be so hurt, she knew, but would they blame her for his death? She didn't think she could handle that. The salty sadness continued to trickle down her cheeks until the name "Loghain" was uttered once more. Anger flared within her heart; a boiling mess of loathing and hatred. She didn't know this man, only in heroic tales had she heard his name, but obviously his character was exaggerated. Either that or an evil sickness overcame him. Only something like that could cause someone to leave men to die at the hands of monsters like the Darkspawn, when they had the power to save them. But worst of all, he'd condemned Carver to a meaningless death.

"... Sounds like you have the beginnings of an army to me. Elves, Dwarves, Mages and this Arl Eamon." The old woman croaked. "Flemeth" had also been one of the words that had bounced off the bubble Raelynn had locked herself in. Was she really the fabled Witch of the Wilds? If she wasn't so preoccupied, maybe Raelynn would have cared more.

"C-could we do this? Raise an army, take down Loghain and defeat the Blight? Is that really something we can do?" stammered Alistair in response. His grief would be strong, Raelynn knew. The Wardens were said to be closer than family, sharing a bond even stronger than blood, and he'd just lost all of them. But the dream of justice seemed to rouse him.

"I think that would be the best we could do for them." Lucas said, his voice steady. He didn't seem as affected by the loss of his comrades. He looked young, perhaps he hadn't spent much time with them. "We should honor everyone who fell at Ostagar by setting things right. Do now what should have been done." He nodded at Alistair, and then at Raelynn. His eyes were sympathetic, as though he was trying intensely to feel the pain they were going through, in a ridiculous effort to ease their burdens. "Duncan, Carver. Everyone."

Finally, Raelynn spoke. "Are you serious about this?" He voice was almost as croaky as Flemeth's, but she pushed forward. "I won't let anyone else die because of the Darkspawn. I hate to think what happened to Carver's body, and that pain won't be inflicted on anyone else. Except maybe Loghain. He will pay dearly for the loss and pain he has caused." Tears dried up, and Raelynn focussed her mind. She would avenge Carver even if it took her life to do so. Alistair went through a similar revelation and his eyes turned steely. Just sitting here crying wouldn't do much good, they knew. Soon, the Darkspawn would overrun them regardless, so now was the time to move.

"Good, I'm glad you've finally realised you can be of use. But I have one more gift for you." Flemeth called out towards the shack. Her daughter, Morrigan, poked her head out through the door, then strode over towards the group. She scowled, as though she did not appreciate being involved in such a large group of people. Raelynn wondered if she'd lived solely with her rather odd mother for so long that she didn't know how to deal with people.

"The stew is bubbling, Mother dear. Shall we have three guests for the eve, or none?" Her tone suggested Morrigan would have preferred the latter. Even in her state, Raelynn managed to roll her eyes in disbelief. What was wrong with her?

"The Warden's and their friend will be leaving shortly," Flemeth replied, with a sly chuckle. Suddenly, Raelynn became suspicious of this gift. "And you will be joining them."

"Such a sha- What?!" Stunned, Morrigan could only turn to her mother, her mouth agape. Alistair and Lucas exchanged looks, and Raelynn understood perfectly what they meant. They didn't know this woman, and she was an Apostate. Bethany and Father had been one thing, but not all Apostates were nice and friendly, Raelynn knew. Furthermore, this one certainly didn't seem eager to go along with this plan.

"We're very... grateful for this, but honestly, we couldn't leave you here alone!" Raelynn waved her hands as she spoke, hopefully in a way that said "oh goodness, you are too generous," rather than, "please don't send your potentially crazed, illegal mage daughter with us."

"See, the Wardens have no wish for me to accompany them! I would expect to have at least some say in this regardless?" Morrigan avoided eye contact with everyone but her Mother, as though the mere sight of them made her feel ill.

"You have been itching to properly leave the Wilds for years. As for you, Wardens, consider this repayment for your lives. I could gladly take them back if you aren't willing." With a final cackle, Flemeth stood and walked out towards one of the many pools of water that surrounded her home. The marshland here was teeming with life and animals made odd noises constantly, but none of it could drown out the awkward silence that ensued.

"It would be an honour to have you with us, Morrigan." With his more upbeat mood, it was Lucas that spoke first. He too stood, and did his awkward little bow before continuing, "I think it would be beneficial for both parties. You get to see the world, and we get a powerful mage. I don't see the downside here?"

Raelynn sighed. The lad was right, she also stood and moved closer to Lucas. It was a small gesture, but one that showed her stance on the issue. "Thank you again for healing my ankle, Morrigan. If you can do more things like that, I'd be happy to have you along." That only left Alistair and, of course, Morrigan herself.

"Apostates, bah. That'll cause us a bunch of trouble out in the real world." Despite his reluctance, Alistair stood and nodded at Morrigan. Her objection to the idea seemed to fade away rather quickly. Was it possible she resisted to save face in case of rejection?

"Fine, I shall go collect my things." Morrigan turned and scurried away back into the shed that her and Flemeth classed as their home. Alistair grumbled to himself, obviously still not happy about this.

"If things go badly because of her, I'm blaming you two." His eyes followed her all the way back to the door, and as she slipped inside he cringed. "You do realise what will happen if people notice her?"

Flemeth, still looking deeply into one of the ponds, spoke for the last time. "If you don't need the help of us illegal mages, I could have just left you back on that tower." And that was all. Moments later, Morrigan appeared with a small pack and bade farewell to her Mother. The encounter was brief and very awkward, both to watch and to be involved in. Morrigan almost seemed relieved to get away. Almost. Raelynn gathered together the remaining parts of her soul that weren't tainted by anger or grief and flashed the witch a smile as they walked up the hill that lead from the wooden shack. Noticing, but not replying in kind, she moved off to the front of the group alone. This would be a hard journey.


	4. Ambush

**Chapter 4 - Ambush**

On their way to Ostagar, the small group of volunteer soldiers from Lothering had laughed, joked and sung songs to pass the time and take their mind away from their weary legs and the battles that were to come. There was no such camaraderie here. Alistair and Lucas stood together, the latter lost in thought and occasionally murmuring to himself. Morrigan was off in front by a few paces and Raelynn lagged behind. Barely a word had been said as they had walked, apart from when the Witch had suggested their destination.

"A small village resides a days walk north of here," she had said soon after they had left her mother's house, "perhaps we should stop there before moving further forward, to gather supplies and make bit more of a plan than, "let's get help." What do you say?" As usual, her voice was reminiscent of a step-mother who'd been left with an unwanted child; condescending but with a facade of niceties.

At first, Raelynn was conflicted about this, but there seemed no other option. On one hand, telling her family about how she failed to protect Carver would be torture and she wanted to catch up to Loghain as soon as she could. On the other, the family that she feared would reject her now also had to be safe. She would make sure of that.

"Aye, Lothering you mean? I know it well," she replied to Morrigan. This conversation had been one of the only times the group had stayed close and that was purely to make it easier to talk rather than any liking for one another. "I live nearby. I'll stop at home while you three scour the village, I have to tell Mother about..."

Both Wardens looked at each other. They knew what she had to do. "You can't just go on your own!" Lucas had protested, "I'll come with you, tell your family how bravely your brother died. How he did it to save your life." At his age, the innocent naivety that honour and bravery would be enough to solve any issue was almost funny. It was a sweet offer, but Raelynn couldn't agree to it. This was her job alone.

It had been mid-morning when they had left Flemeth's part of the Wilds. Now, the setting sun sent radiant beams of orange light out from behind the horizon. Remembering the sight of a similar sky only a day previously at Ostagar sent a chill through Raelynn's blood. Maybe she would never find such beauty a comfort ever again?

"Is it much further?" Alistair whined. Despite knowing that she lived near the village, Alistair had directed his question at the leading member of their little party. It was with a heavy sigh that Morrigan replied.

"Our destination is not far from here, Warden. It might come quicker if you stop all this complaining." Morrigan stamped her feet heavily as they began to march uphill on a small path. The white marble bricks of the old Imperial Highway could be seen at the summit. "All we need to do is follow this structure for an hour or so and we should arrive right on time."

"Well we missed dinner, so I don't know what we'd be right on time for." Lucas muttered as his stomach growled. It was a joke that fell flat on the group, but the mention of food set Raelynn's stomach a flutter. The last thing she remembered eating was some field rations over an entire day ago. She'd been ignoring the gnawing feeling in her stomach until now, but Lucas, with his posh, noble tone had been stupid enough to remind her.

"Alistair, good news!" Raelynn called, so that the whole group could hear, "we're stopping. I'll go hunt for some food." Morrigan scowled but didn't disagree. Alistair let out a small cheer and flung his pack down on the floor. Lucas followed suit and collapsed next to it with a loud gasp like he'd just had a pint of water on a hot summer's day.

While the others set about making a small camp on the Highway, Raelynn slipped into the undergrowth nearby. She'd always enjoyed hunting, and the prospect of being without a bow was more of a fun challenge than a hinderance. Hopefully she'd be able to get a rabbit, or hopefully something larger, plus some berries that were very numerous in this region. With silent, stealthy movements, Raelynn crept through bushes and grass as though she wasn't there and held her daggers loosely in either hand. A cracking branch to the right sent her into action.

With a sharp flick of the wrist, the knife sailed through the air and hit whatever had made the noise with a satisfying thud. Dashing over, Raelynn inspected her kill. Just as she had hoped for, a rabbit lay bleeding and still on the ground, a pool of blood spreading from it across the green foliage. Just like that, a wave of guilt and nausea washed over her. The same thing had happened to Carver. A predator of much greater size and strength had taken his life, just like she had done to this poor creature.

Shaking her head, Raelynn pulled herself away from those feelings. Though she had managed to bury the tears, the loss and guilt she felt managed to rear its ugly head in strange ways. "Focus," she murmured to herself. Hunting with a throwing knife was hard, especially since she'd made a blind shot in the growing dark. Her blade had gone straight through the side of the rabbit, and would now be much harder to prepare. Cursing, she withdrew the blade but took the rabbit anyway, attaching it by it's ears to her belt.

Not long after, Raelynn had gathered a pouch of assorted berries and another rabbit. Dinner was ready. Having made sure the Highway was always in sight, it was easy to find her way back from within the overgrown lowlands that surrounded it. The light of a campfire above made her all the more excited back to camp. With the prospect of food in her stomach, the group didn't seem so bad after all. But something was wrong. Shouting began to echo out all around, and as Raelynn neared the top of the same hill they'd gone up earlier, things began to seem even worse. The voices belonged to men, lots of them.

"If you can't afford to pay the toll, we can just take your lovely wench here!" It sounded too common to be Lucas or Alistair speaking and she assumed the, "lovely wench" was meant to be Morrigan. Somehow Raelynn doubted she would enjoy being called that. Approaching cautiously, she stuck to the shadows. It was easy to remain hidden now that the sun had set proper and the moon glowed faintly from within a sea of inky black.

All she wanted was to eat some food, was that too much to ask? Ramming a handful of berries into her mouth, Raelynn drew her daggers and carried on. As she neared the camp that the Wardens had created, she ducked behind a large brick that had fallen onto the main path of the Highway and used it as cover. Staying out in the open would be risky; one of the dancing lights might illuminate her and bring the group even more issues.

"We don't have any gold and you're not putting a finger on her!" Lucas' voice rose above the rabble, only to be drowned out by deep laughter. Only now she was close could Raelynn figure out where everyone was. The camp was empty, and a group of ten sword-armed and leather-armoured men stood on the other side of the flames. Beyond them Raelynn could just make out a woman in purple robes and two gleaming sets of armour that reflected the fire light magnificently.

"Ha! Looks like we have a city boy 'ere, lads!" It seemed the tallest man, stood right in the centre of their group, was the leader. "Cant expect me to think you don't 'ave no coin? And I'll 'ave you know I can put my 'ands on anyone I damn well please."

"I'd like to see you say that with my blade through your neck." For once, Raelynn thought Lucas sounded intimidating. His upbringing was unknown to her, but he had to be from some wealthy family. His voice was always so clear, his speech precise and at times a bit sing-song. But now though, with people to protect, it took a much darker tone.

The other man spat at Lucas, the white blob landing on the chest piece of his armour. "I'd like to see you say that dead." His men laughing again, the leader seemed to take heart. But Lucas began to laugh too, louder and harder than anyone else there. Stunned, the bandits stopped in their tracks and watched the young man double over with laughter. His sword ready for battle, it was a strange sight indeed.

"What the hell are you doing, Lucas?!" Raelynn was almost furious. She'd been impressed with him moments before, but now he was making a fool of himself. Eventually, his laughter died down and he wiped tears away from his eyes with the back of his leather glove, still chuckling away.

"I believe you should stick to the bar brawls and tavern serving girls my friend. Wit and humour are not your strong points, are they?" Stepping forward slowly, Lucas continued to speak. "All you did was copy what I said but sounded more stupid doing so. Well, that's understandable considering you were probably raised by a whore who didn't know which of a hundred men was your father."

The man growled deeply at the insult as Lucas casually continued his walk forward. "You take that back, or I'll make it so you can't ever talk again."

"See what I mean?" The question was rhetorical, but the brute tried to answer. Lucas quickly him. "Another good example of your lack of intellect. You try and bully those smaller or weaker or less fortunate than you. How many "tolls" have you collected today alone, I wonder, from those without homes or those that have lost their family?" He pointed with his blade at the heavy pouch that hung at the brutes waist. Only a couple of feet away now, Lucas flicked his blade up and lunged forward.

Squealing like a little girl, the bigger man looked down at the sharp, pointed blade that was only a hair's width from plunging straight into his neck. The group around him had been so transfixed on Lucas none had raised their weapons to defend their leader. "Blade through your neck, I believe I said?" Lucas laughed again before his eyes turned steely. "Command your men to drop their weapons, gold and anything else they've stolen. I'll let you leave with your lives today." Lucas shook his head as though he was more disappointed in these men than angry. Sharing an uneasy look, the bandits turned to their leader once again who nodded solemnly... before lashing out. One armoured fist knocked the blade at his throat away from him while the other hand sent his drawn sword singing through the air towards Lucas' boyish face. Leaning back calmly, the Warden dodged the heavy, clumsy blow easily and entered a stance she had not seen before. He stood with his body fully perpendicular to his enemy and with a quick flourish brought his sword to rest at a horizontal pointed directly at the chest of his foe. From her position, Raelynn thought he looked very fragile.

"'Ow about we just kill ye' for yer gold, eh?" Charging forward once again, the bandit hacked mightily at Lucas who remained perfectly still. Raelynn almost let out a gasp as he seemed to put up no fight at all, but it was the brilliant speed of his counter attack that caught the noise in her throat. With almost blinding quickness, Lucas deflected the blade easily, sending it sliding along his sword and altering the angle of attack just enough to send the larger, rugged man stumbling. Another quick slash sent blood squirting onto the nearby fire which sizzled loudly, almost drowning out the steady gurgling that emanated from the bandit. If she had so much as blinked, Raelynn would have missed the fight altogether. Lucas looked like a statue; he'd barely moved at all. The remaining men looked at each other once more before ditching their weapons and overflowing money pouches to the ground and sprinting into the night. They were obviously used to intimidation rather than a real fight.

After they had passed, Raelynn strode back into camp to find Lucas knelt down next to the man who had attacked him. His eyes were closed and he mouthed silent words to the evening air Somehow the bandit had not bled out yet and was gurgling away to himself, but she was more preoccupied by the fact that she was supposed to sleep in this mess. "So you're okay then?" Raelynn laughed quietly, although she wasn't exactly sure why, "What are you doing?"

"Blade through your throat." Lucas interrupted his silent monologue, "I warned him, I killed him and now I will guide him to the Maker." Raelynn snorted in disapproval. A man as weak and petty as him did not deserve prayer, not when Carver did not get the honour at least. She said as much out loud. Lucas finished his prayer before plunging a smaller knife into the still-breathing man's temple, easing his suffering no doubt. Standing, Lucas gave Raelynn a poignant look. "What do you think I've been doing all the way here?"


	5. Home

**Chapter 5 - Home**

"Why did you let them go?!" Raelynn was furious. It was nice to see Lucas be something other than extremely polite, but she couldn't get the anger out of her head. Ever since he'd killed their leader, the thought of letting the rest go had been niggling at the back of her mind. "How could you let people like that just walk away unpunished? How many people's lives do you think they've ruined?" Their old camp was unusable what with the blood covering everything so they reluctantly decided to look for another suitable area. It was hard work navigating in the dark, but fortunately the bandits had set up camp just a few minutes walk down the highway; it wasn't even hidden. Piles of stolen supplies, food and gold were scattered around the white brick road. These were all things refugees would need to survive losing their homes. Instantly, Raelynn had turned face and unleashed her rage on Lucas.

"I gave them a chance to redeem themselves!" Lucas protested. He shifted his weight slightly and Raelynn couldn't tell if he was preparing to go for his weapon again or if he was just feeling guilty about upsetting her. "We can just take everything to Lothering and hand it out there. I'm sure we'll find good homes for all of this!"

"Oh yeah, that'll be easy, just dragging all of this for a couple of miles. Piece of cake!" Stopping herself, Raelynn refocused her argument. It was easy to get lost in anger and not actually say what got you angry in the first place. "But what about those men, eh? They could easily start up again, but this time they're more desperate since they're empty handed now. What if they ignore the whole tax charade and just start killing people?!" It was dark, so Raelynn hoped no one would see how red her face was getting. She'd always had a temper, and the red face that came with her fits of anger often caused her family to just laugh at her.

"Look, he did well! He's only young and I'd like to pull something like that off." Alistair had been rummaging through the gear in one of the piles, trying to stay out of the argument. But right now he stood with his Warden brother-in-arms.

"That's not the point, they didn't deserve to be let go. You should have killed them." Not surprised by the stunned silence that followed, Raelynn continued to speak, her voice turning much higher pitched as she defended her point of view from the non-verbal disagreement. "It sounds harsh, but they deserved it! It's not like we couldn't take them. I've seen you two fight and now we have Morrigan, a mage for Maker's sake! Even without me in the shadows, we could have done it. It was pretty obvious they weren't well trained fighters."

"I agree, they do not deserve their lives. I for one hate being threatened..." Her silky voice cutting through Raelynn's roar, Morrigan finally began to show interest in conversation. Before Raelynn could reply with a thank you, the witch held up her hand. "However, I do believe what the Warden did was the best course of action. 'Tis true I am powerful, and I'm sure you Wardens fight wonderfully, but we are tired and hungry. A battle would not have gone in our favour."

Deflated, Raelynn sat down on the cold floor. "Fine, not much we can do now. Start a fire and I'll prepare these for cooking." Grumpily, she began to skin the rabbits. The work was tedious, but it at least it gave her something to focus her frustrations on. The entire encounter had reminded her of when one of childhood friends had been killed by bandits looking for easy coin. No one who prayed on those weaker or less fortunate than them should be allowed to wander the world free. Who gave Lucas the right to decide they deserved a second chance?

Dinner was not very filling in the end. Roasted rabbit topped with crushed, roast berries sounds like a meal fit for nobility, but when that's all there is and it's spread between four people? Not so much. As the flames of the fire began to waver, it was quickly decided the order of who would go on watch. It was the only conversation they'd had since Raelynn began skinning the rabbits. After taking first watch, Raelynn went to sleep in the brown sleeping bag her mother made for her and used her travelling pack as a pillow. The uncomfortable ground did nothing to help her sour mood and as she watched the moon sail effortlessly through the heavens, she could not help but feel jealous of it. If only her life was so carefree.

At the crack of dawn they broke camp. Alistair and Lucas seemed to be getting on fine, laughing and joking around as they dismantled their tent and gathered sacks of food they could take to the Chantry in the village. If she hadn't been so annoyed with the younger of the pair, Raelynn probably would have joined in. It was a stark contrast to how Alistair had been acting at Flemeth's hut, but behind the smile his eyes remained dark and lifeless. All of it was an act to hide the pain; maybe that's why Raelynn had decided to be so angry all of a sudden? It was easier to scowl than it was to cry.

The four set off before the sun had fully risen. As they travelled, they each dragged a bulging sack of supplies behind them. Morrigan's was by far the lightest. Raelynn suspected she was more annoyed at the fact they were being helpful to the poor than anything else. If they'd decided to keep these things for themselves, Raelynn had no doubt Morrigan would be beaming from ear to ear.

Again the group split up as they walked and Raelynn seriously began to regret saying she would go along with them at all. Her main motivation had been getting revenge on Loghain, if helping the Warden's end the Blight was a side effect than that was fine with her. But the closer she got to home the more she thought about the family she had to take care of and that seemed far more important. Plus, it would probably be more enjoyable. You couldn't expect a group of strangers to work together perfectly after all and more disagreements were bound to come up sooner or later.

Morning rolled by and hunger once again growling within the travellers stomach's, but the scenery had begun to become familiar to Raelynn. A mix of calm and dread mixed with her hunger to make an entirely new feeling that defied words. She was happy to be home, off the road and away from the terrors of Ostagar. But what she'd left behind and what awaited her through her front door chilled Raelynn to the core. Stopping, she realised that walking towards the main village would actually be making her journey longer. "Hey..." she shouted to the Wardens in front of her. Morrigan stopped but did not turn back. Instead she gave a fleeting look to see what the fuss was about and decided to sit gracefully on one of the waist high ledges on the side of the Imperial Highway. A gust of wind tugged at her robes and hair. Perching on her makeshift seat Morrigan looked more like a bird of prey than ever as she brushed her raven bangs away from the dark eyes they were hiding and peered out to the horizon where the village of Lothering had now come into view. "I'm going to split off here. Maybe I'll meet up with you in the village," Raelynn continued. "I live just a little over that way and well, yeah. I have my family to see."

Lucas opened his mouth, presumably to offer his company once more, but closed it again quickly as he remembered how angry Raelynn had been at him. Mentally kicking herself for not telling him she was over it already, Raelynn had to admit it was actually cute in a sad puppy sort of way. Either way, this was something she had to do alone. After a quick goodbye, she took off down a small side path that would wind through the undergrowth and take her directly home. The journey would not take more than half an hour at an easy walking pace, but as she grew closer Raelynn strode into a light jog. Eventually she broke into a flat out run as she caught sight of the thickly thatched roof of her beloved home. Tears welled in her eyes as the conflicting emotions threatened to burst from within. Up until now only two thoughts had kept her going; revenge on the man who'd insulted Carver's sacrifice and getting home. But harming one of the most powerful men in the country would be a tough challenge so she could make do with this. Crying openly now, Raelynn continued her run.

"Mother! Mother!" Screaming out for her family, Raelynn broke through the undergrowth and almost stumbled flat onto her face. Wiping her face with the back of her rough leather glove, she picked herself up and carried on. Before her was a perfect picture of homeliness. Smoke rose from the chimney of their old, stone home, signalling a warm fire burned in the hearth. Maybe lunch was cooking? Raelynn licked her lips at the thought as she ran up the dirt path and up the hill. Flowers surrounded her, no doubt tended to by the two remaining members of the family that lived here. A strong perfume was in the air and eased Raelynn's windows were ajar, letting out the heat from the fire while letting in the cool wind that flowed through the hills around Lothering. "Mother!"

A plain oak door burst open and a beautiful young girl charged towards Raelynn. Her hair was a thick, luxurious black and tied back into a high ponytail that was so long it draped almost to her waist. Looking at it now, it was scary how similar her hair was in colour to Morrigan's, but hers seemed vibrant and youthful while the Witches' had none of the same gloss and energy. The apron tied tight around her and the cutlery in a large front pocket signalled she'd been doing the cooking after all. A brilliant white smile was plastered across her face as she charged across the garden and into Raelynn's arms.

"Sister!" The younger girl buried her face into Raelynn's armour, muffling her voice. Stumbling backwards under the force of the girl hitting her flat in the chest, the pair sunk to the ground. They shared a tight, loving hug before the older of the pair relinquished her grip and stared sorrowfully down at her sister. Raelynn could not imagine wiping that huge grin from her face, but it would have to be done eventually... "Raelynn, you look awful! We really need to give you a bath." The height difference between them seemed to have shrunk in the couple of months she had been away and now Raelynn stood only few inches taller than her.

"Bethany, sweetheart, I..." voice catching in her throat, Raelynn struggled to hold back more tears. Breaking through the wall that she'd built around her crushed heart, the tears steadily poured from her eyes and she shuddered as Bethany only watched in bewilderment. Everything about her reminded Raelynn of Carver. Despite how different they had been as people, there was still something that bound them together and that broke Raelynn's heart all the more.

"Raelynn?" Bethany whispered, dropping to her knees too. "Raelynn, talk to me, please!" But she couldn't. Raelynn only sobbed harder and harder still as Bethany enveloped her once more in a hug. Eventually, she choked out a few words.

"I'm sorry for dirtying your fine gown, m'lady." The joke fell flat as Raelynn had expected but at least she had said something. The apron was smeared with dirt and wet patches from the tears. Now she was with family, those who would understand her pain and grief but she could barely speak more than a few words before being overwhelmed again. Bethany ran her delicate fingers hands slowly and carefully through her older sister's short, blonde hair.

"Don't worry about it," Bethany chuckled back, "I'll get the servants to pick me up another gown before they cook us dinner." It had been a long running joke that one day the Hawke family would be rich nobles, living in a huge estate with servants and cooks. Not likely, not with Mages in the household, but it was still nice to dream.

Eventually, Raelynn picked herself up and let herself be escorted into the house. She was so happy to be home, but the thought of confessing her failure to protect Carver was too much. Sitting at the familiar dinner table, surrounded by all the familiar objects should have felt soothing, but nothing would take away the apprehension she felt at her future task. Mother was nowhere to be seen and Bethany merely said she was, "out in the village." Preferring to tell both of her family members the bad news at once, Raelynn passed the time watching Bethany cook and participating in idle chatter. Bethany was nineteen and already getting offers from men in the village; it was easy to see why. She was gorgeous, Raelynn had to admit, and had apparently transformed into a domestic goddess while she'd been away. Dancing back and forth along the countertops, stirring pots, cutting vegetables... It was a far cry from the little girl that Raelynn had left behind.

"Someone had to look after Mother while you and Carver were away, didn't they?" Raelynn cursed under her breath as bethany mentioned her twin brother once more. Each time she'd managed to brush it off, but Bethany knew there was something wrong and there was only so many times she could dodge explaining why Bethany's twin hadn't been on Raelynn's heels. Anyway, you don't just cry like a baby for no reason. Being a smart girl, it must have been easy for Bethany to guess but she was also clever enough to not prod too hard.

Creaking wood signalled Mother had returned from her visit to the village. Grasped in her hands were bundles of cloth holding the food for that week. Bursting into the kitchen, she began to talk quickly to Bethany about helping her put the food away before flinging out a vague compliment about how nice the cooking smelled. With a start, the older woman stopped suddenly at the sight of the filthy, bloody girl sat at her pristine table.

"You're... you're back?" Dropping the cloth bags to the floor with a heavy thud she hurried forward and grasped Raelynn in another tight hug. Like Daughter, like Mother it seemed. "I'm so glad you're alright, you have no idea how worried I've been. I knew your fighting spirit would bring you back alive, always were a scrappy one..." And so she went on and on for a while, complimenting her eldest daughter, fussing over her and pouring a plate of the broth that Bethany had been preparing. It wasn't until they were all sat down did she ask about her son. "So where's the man of the house gotten to?" The smile on her face faltered as she realised Raelynn hadn't responded to anything she'd said or done. A dark shadow passed across the house as the sun was smothered by a cloud. The temperature inside the house dropped drastically as the fire became almost irrelevant.

Or maybe it's just in my imagination, Raelynn thought. With a deep breath she locked away the tears and the fears for now and closed her eyes. "Raelynn, where's Carver? Where's my baby boy?" Having sensed the hesitation and read the look on her face, Raelynn new that Mother had to know something was wrong.

"He's..." The words caught in her throat as she felt the shaking in her arms and the dampness return to her eyes. "Damn it!" Slamming her fist on the wooden surface before her, Raelynn couldn't contain her anger at herself. If it wasn't for her breaking her ankle this would never have happened and she wouldn't have to inflict this pain on her family.. "He's not coming back! He's dead!" It came out as a loud shout, full of anger and pain, which made the silence afterwards all the more intense. Raelynn dare not look at those she shared this table with and so instead stared at the now cold soup. She'd spent so long trying to think of how to tell them and that's all she could do? It only furthered her anguish.

Minutes passed by but they felt more like hours. No one spoke and no one moved until the scrape of a chair being pushed back echoed around the room. Still not looking up, Raelynn was shocked to find a familiar pair of arms snake around her shoulders. She leaned into another hug from her sister, a much gentler and sombre hug than before. A wet droplet landed on the back of Raelynn's head and quickly soaked into her hair. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders; they knew. The reaction would never be good but they hadn't blamed her, at least not yet. They hadn't found heard the whole story. Now that she had started, it was hard to stop. Together, the Hawke family sat and cried while Raelynn discussed the circumstances of her little brother's death. Finally, she could let her feelings be known and talk to those who knew her and could understand and she felt a tragic sort of bliss wash over her. Despite the circumstances, it was good to be finally home.


	6. Goodbyes

**Chapter 6: Goodbyes**

"There was no chance to recover his body? None?" Raelynn started at her Mother's grief-ridden voice. Leandra had remained quiet and withdrawn as you would expect any Mother to act when told of her son's death. Bethany had sat close and asked questions as Raelynn had told her tale, all the while supportively holding her hand. She did not blame her older sister like Raelynn had feared she would. But there was a darkness to Leandra's eyes, one that went beyond grief. Dark eyes hid a darker truth within. "Did you not even go back to look?"

"Mother, I..." It was difficult for Raelynn to explain. She could not cry anymore at least which made it easier to talk. The well had run dry it seemed and now her eyelids were chapped and saw from wiping tears away. But it was still hard to think straight. "I couldn't go back. Ostagar was overrun and... I wanted to but I wouldn't have made it back." Leandra seemed to be swaying back and forth with her feelings. Of course she was happy to have not lost two of her children but a corner of her heart must be wanted to scream and shout at her stupid daughter for not saving her little boy. Raelynn knew it was justified since she felt like that herself too.

"I understand," the usually jovial voice that Leandra had was absent. She sounded alien speaking in such a depressing tone. Raelynn couldn't even remember her being this upset when Father had died. "This will just take a lot of time to get used to." Wiping away her silent tears with a faded handkerchief, Leandra seemed to drift into her thoughts. Silence fell upon the family; uneasy, yet a nice chance for Raelynn to compile her thoughts again. Everything had either just tumbled out or stay bundled up inside like a cold that couldn't make up it's mind with how to afflict your nose. "He was so rude and dismissive in the most adorable ways possible. Maybe it's only something a Mother could love." Breaking her pondering, Leandra spoke aloud but something had changed within her. It was far from cheery, but she seemed to have made the decision to ignore the darker part of her mind that wanted to throttle her eldest daughter. Smiling sadly, Raelynn looked once more at the family she had left. They'd survived terrible things before and as long as they stuck together, they could survive anything... Which is what worried Raelynn the most.

Sighing, she stood and dusted herself down the best she could. "It's a shame you don't have the time you'll need. You have to leave soon." Uprooting the family would be difficult, she knew, but it was needed. They couldn't stay here much longer, the Darkspawn were slaughtering and corrupting their way north every day. "The Darkspawn could arrive any day now; you've seen the refugees in the village!" With solemn nods, Leandra and Bethany agreed. That was accepted a lot quicker than Raelynn had dared hope.

"What do you mean, "you have to leave soon?" Aren't you coming with us?" Raelynn bit her lip in frustration and turned away from her too-clever sister. Bethany had picked up on her wording right away. Damn it.

"I have... things that need to be done. Without you." Telling only the partial truth would not get them off her back, Raelynn knew. But how would her Mother feel about her daughter jaunting off again into the wilderness to hunt down a nobleman? Probably not too happy.

"You're leaving us? Again?" Still, she kept her back to her family as the lecture began from the eldest Hawke in the room. There wasn't all that much to focus on other than the fireplace, but Raelynn managed to find things to examine or ponder about as the sea of warnings and accusations washed over her from behind. "Are you just going to stand there and ignore me!?" That one in particular stood out, a larger wave than the rest of them to be sure. It wouldn't hold Raelynn back from what she had to do though. She'd come to terms with the task she'd set herself back at Flemeth's hut. Ever since they left, she'd been having doubts about all of this. Couldn't she be happy just being with her family? Seeing her mother and sister so distraught had confirmed her mission; Loghain had to feel the same pain that they felt for losing Carver.

Yes, her brave brother would have died regardless of Loghain's actions. If he'd stormed the battlefield as planned nothing would have changed but at least Carver would would have sacrificed himself to give the signal that would have ended the Blight and saved hundreds, thousands, no, maybe even tens of thousands of lives. The heartbreak that tore through the Hawke family would still be as painful but there would be a glimmer of hope as Fereldan would have had peace. Instead there was a bleak, uncertain future for its people. "Why are you not listening to me? Do you not even care about us, our ho-?!"

"Of course I care, Mother!" Raelynn had not meant to speak so violent, but the yammering had become intolerable. "Can you not see how broken up I am inside? You of all people should know how I feel right now. You have to leave. That's the end of it. Pack some clothes and some food, grab Bethany and run as far north as you can." Finally she turned to look at Leandra with a sharp jerk of the head. Shaking, Leandra stood in the centre of the room while Bethany sobbed into a nearby cushion. Raelynn put as much steeliness into that one glare as she could muster; no was not an answer she would accept. "We've already lost the two men this family had and with this haircut I'm the closest thing we have left. You're doing as I say."

After that there was little argument. What would be the point? Leaving was the only option, they all agreed. It would be a shame to lose the home they'd grown to love but better that than lose their lives. Raelynn needed to walk her own path and eventually Leandra would understand that even if she was worried sick now. It took under an hour to gather all the supplies they needed, gathered in two sacks in front of the house.

"We could take more if you were coming with us..." Bethany moaned as she heaved one of the rough, woollen bags over her shoulder. She'd been making small comments every so often in an attempt to make Raelynn feel guilty about leaving. However she tried not to listen. Enough guilt had weighed her down the past few days and now she wanted nothing more to be guilty of. What she was planning was the right thing to do.

Emotional goodbyes were exchanged, in stark contrast to how she'd bid farewell to the Wardens earlier. Yet more tears were shed, hugs shared and hands held as Raelynn said goodbye to the family she may not see for months. The Hawkes would travel north to Denerim, the capital of Ferelden, and from there catch a ship to Kirkwall. Leandra had come up with this plan almost immediately, but she spoke the words with reluctance. Her past was not a secret, but Leandra had spoken very little about it and would always shrug off questions. Raelynn knew that she was once a noblewoman who had run away with her father; an apostate mage. Other than that it was a touchy subject and Raelynn could understand why. Her grandparents had never replied to any letters, never cared enough to come see their runaway daughter's family. That must hurt. Now her brother, Gamlen, held the Amell estate alone since he was the only one left alive in Kirkwall.

Leandra alternated between fretting about Raelynn running off, worrying about escaping the Darkspawn and how her brother would accept her after the way she'd left. Eventually she calmed down enough to pick up her bag and the Mother and Daughter set off along the small path that lead to the Imperial Highway. Raelynn would miss them greatly and she was sure the feeling was mutual. They looked so lonely and feeble on their own like that. A spark of worry wormed its way into Raelynn's mind. Would they have to worry about thieves? Or murderers? Or worse... Shaking her head, Raelynn new she had nothing to worry about. Bethany could use magic and she was pretty skilled with it too. Anyone who crossed her out in the wilderness would be incinerated on the spot. If that failed, her Mother would scream the ear off any would-be bandits. They would be fine, especially if they met up with other refugees from the village. Bethany's ponytail bobbed up and down as she walked and as she skipped past a broad, brown tree trunk and out of sight Raelynn couldn't help but notice how quiet everything had become. Closing her eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink, she began to felt better about herself. Stronger.

Raelynn was alone for the first time in hours and it felt so good. No longer would she have the weight of fear on her shoulders and she could truly focus on the task at hand. The sun was high in the sky now, but sinking slowly showing noon had passed not long in one last deep breath of the perfume-scented air that surrounded her home, she turned her back and took her first step down a different path to those she loved. Hopefully, Lucas and Alistair would still be in Lothering waiting for her.


End file.
